


For Lovers 'Till the End

by nerdy_cait05



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ALTERNATE REALITIES!!!!, Angst, Canon Universe, Established Relationship, F/F, First Kiss, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post Season 3, Slow Burn, fem!paladins, in every reality Keith and Lance are gay for each other, in the alternate reality at least, it's really gay, let's face it, like super duper gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2018-12-19 03:58:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11889510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdy_cait05/pseuds/nerdy_cait05
Summary: Team Voltron travels to an alternate reality in search of a weapon to defeat Lotor once and for all.  While there, they meet the alternate versions of themselves, only the Keith and Lance of this world are much more…affectionate with each other, and they're not quite sure how to handle that.RATED T FOR VIOLENCE AND MILD LANGUAGE





	1. Brand New Reality

**Author's Note:**

> The concept of the Paladins traveling to alternate realities came to me when I watched Season 3 for the umpteenth time and I realized: literally any reality is possible, thus this was born!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Thanks also to my beta-reader, @genericfanatic, and the best human in the world, @Voltron_assemble, for pushing me to write this. <3

[(music I listened to while writing)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGGBjNWxSsc)

 

****_...Galra information hub, outer regions of space _

 

The Red and Blue paladins fought side-by-side, dual-blades and bullets coursing through the air as robotic sentries fired from all directions.  Their teammates were just down the hall, seconds away from either blowing the Galra base to bits or getting the information they needed to find Takashi.

 

“Pidge!” The Blue paladin yelled, “If you could please hurry that’d be great!  Red and I are struggling out here!”

 

“I’m trying!” the Green Paladin yelled over the comms, “The command keys the Blade of Marmora gave me aren’t working!”

 

A hissing noise came from overhead, along with a monotone voice, “KEY CODE INCORRECT.  INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT PROTOCOL.”

 

“Pidge…” the Red paladin warned.

 

“Just...one last...GOT IT!”

 

With a metallic beep the entire base shut down, all the sentries falling to the ground like broken toys.

 

“Great job Paladins,” the Pink paladin stood, “Let’s get back to the castle immediately.  I have a feeling we won’t be alone for long.”

 

“You got it!” the Yellow Paladin called back, “Let’s go, guys!”

 

As soon as the team was all back on the castleship they gathered on the bridge, not even bothering to change out of their uniforms.  Pidge was already at the control board, downloading the new information they’d all risked their lives to get.

 

“According to this,” Pidge said as text scrolled down the monitors, “there aren’t any records of Takashi returning to the Galra prison camps, so we can assume that―” 

 

A loud alarm cut off the Green paladin as they all spun around.

 

“What’s happening?” the Blue paladin yelled.

 

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen these readings!” the Pink paladin responded.

 

“Your highness,” Red pointed outside, “look.”

 

There was a large flash of yellow light, and then without warning a ship came flying through the space near the castleship.  It was large, and colorful, and looked vaguely like…

 

“Voltron?”

 

* * *

 

_...one hour earlier, open space. _

 

“Are we so sure this is a good idea?  I mean, we don’t really know what we’re getting ourselves into, here!”  Pidge said for what felt like the thousandth time as team Voltron flew through open space in their lions.

 

Lance had to restrain himself from sighing as Keith replied with one of his default responses to Pidge’s questions, “I know, Pidge, but we don’t have much of a choice.  If we wanna beat Lotor, this is our only option.”

 

“But are you sure there’s no other way to find this element?  Maybe Slav miscalculated, or you heard him wrong?” Coran suggested over the comms.

 

“Believe me, Coran, if there was another way to find this element, I’d build whatever contraption I could to do it,” Hunk whimpered from his lion, “But this element simply doesn’t exist on this plane of reality.”

 

“So you’re just gonna wormhole to a completely different reality?  I don’t think this is such a good idea, Keith,” Shiro’s face popped on each of the paladin’s screens.

 

Lance’s chest tightened in irritation at Shiro’s tone.  Ever since they’d found him and he’d returned to the team, something just didn’t seem...right about him, but the Blue paladin couldn’t pinpoint what it was.  He tried to brush it off as being hypersensitive, but he had the feeling that it wasn't just that. Shiro had seemed more of a war general than their friend and leader since he came back, and he hoped he wasn’t the only one who thought that. 

 

“Look, do we need this magic thing to take down Lotor or not?” Keith challenged.

 

“Coran, Shiro, we appreciate your concern,” Allura’s calming voice cut through the tension, “But we can do this.”

 

There was a brief silence before Shiro relented, “Okay.  Just stick to the plan: get in, find the element, get out.  No unnecessary risks, no venturing off on your own.”

 

“You got it, Space Dad!” Lance was eager to get moving, “Now let’s go!  Keith, what’s the first step?”

 

He could almost feel the Red paladin’s relief as he relaxed into mission mode. “First we form Voltron, then we find the right place to open a portal.  Pidge, were you able to work with Slav and get the correct coordinates?”

 

“For the most part,” the young girl chirped, “he kept getting distracted by all of the things the Blade of Marmora was trying to get him to do, but these are the only ones that make logical sense within his ramblings.”

 

“Then we’ll just have to trust him.” Lance confirmed, “As crazy as he might sound, Slav has always had some sort of method to his madness.”

 

“I agree with Lance,” Hunk piped up, “even though he’s obnoxious, every reality I’ve met him in, Slav knows his stuff.”

 

“Then let’s do this,” Keith yelled as they flew in formation.

 

“FORM VOLTRON!”

 

No matter how many times they did it, Lance would never tire of being connected to his teammates in Voltron.  He loved the feeling of each person’s thoughts nudging against his own, fear and adrenaline and elation soaring through his skin with every movement and turn in battle.  It was almost like being home again, being so in-sync with other people and getting things done. 

 

“Alright, Pidge,” Keith said gently as they flew through space, “tell us where we need to be.”

 

“We’re on the right trajectory, just a little further and...here!”

 

Voltron stopped in the place Pidge had indicated.

 

“Great.  Now all we need to do is open the portal into the other dimension,” Keith continued, “We ready for this?”

 

“Following you, team leader!” Lance grinned.

 

A surge of warmth radiated from Red to Lance at that comment, and Lance had to remind himself to focus.  The overwhelming fondness of Red to her former and current paladins always floored Lance, even though he had experienced that kind of love and affirmation from Blue.  He wasn’t sure what it was about Red, but her affection felt much more― _ charged _ .  

 

“Alright Paladins, just like we practiced,” Coran’s voice interrupted Lance’s thoughts, “focus on the quintessence of your lions.  Try and break it down so you can access the ability of the comet from which they were made.  Channel that energy, and make a gateway to the other dimension.”

 

Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting his mind meld with Red’s and the others, brushing kindly against Blue’s and generating the energy needed.  Within minutes yellow light began radiating from Voltron’s core.

 

“It’s working!” Allura gasped excitedly, “Coran, it’s really working!”

 

“Great job, team,” Shiro’s voice was staticky over the comms, “Now complete the mission.  We’ll see you once you re-enter our reality.  Good luck out there.”

 

“Thanks, Shiro,” Keith grunted, “Alright team, let’s find out what this alternate reality is like!”

 

“Yeah!”

 

With a flash of light Voltron disappeared through the portal, and when Lance could see again he did a double-take.

 

“Uhh guys,” Hunk asked uncertainly, “Am I the only one seeing this?”

 

Right in front of them, floating perfectly in space, was what looked like their Altean castleship, only the colors were inverted.  Lance could just make out the outline of the pitch-black ship by the glowing lights of the thrusters and hull surrounded by a particle barrier.

 

“Woah,” Pidge sighed, “This must be Allura’s castle in this reality!”

 

“ATTENTION UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT,” a smooth voice commanded from the ship, “THIS IS PRINCE ALASTAIR OF THE REBEL ALLIANCE.  PLEASE STATE YOUR ID NUMBER AND PURPOSE IN THIS QUADRANT IMMEDIATELY.  REFUSE TO DO SO, AND I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO USE FORCE.”

 

“Wow,” Lance whistled, “Allura, this guy even sounds like you!”

 

“I do  _ not _ sound that militant and heartless!” Allura argued.

 

“Rebel Alliance?” Pidge asked, “What does that mean?”

 

“Could these guys be like Sven and Slav from that other reality?” Hunk added.

 

“I don’t know,” Keith’s concern weighed heavily in all of their heads, “But let’s try and find out.”

 

There was a pause as Keith composed himself, and Lance felt a sudden surge of pride at his thinking things through before acting, though whether it was from him or Red, he couldn’t tell.

 

“Attention Rebel Alliance,” Keith beckoned the black castleship, “This is the Paladin of the Black Lion of Voltron.  We come from an alternate reality looking for the―” he trailed off, “Lance, what’s the name of the stuff we’re trying to find?”

 

“Trifulgarian ore.”

 

“We’re looking for the Trifulgarian ore, which only exists in your reality.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“DID YOU SAY YOU WERE THE BLACK PALADIN?” another, feminine voice called from the craft.

 

“Well,” Keith stammered, “Not exactly, but―”

 

“BUT YOU’RE PILOTING THE BLACK LION, THE HEAD OF VOLTRON?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

There was another pause, and Lance wasn’t sure how he felt about this.  There was something way too...familiar with the cadence and speech pattern of the girl’s voice.  And how could the people of this reality be so familiar with the concepts of Voltron and how it worked?

 

“PLEASE,” the first voice said kindly, “COME ABOARD.  WE WOULD HOPE TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR SEARCH.”

 

The shimmering particle barrier around the castleship vanished, and a hangar door opened under the hull of the ship.

 

“Is anybody else getting weird vibes?” Lance asked, because it had to be asked.

 

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed quickly, “But it’s not like...a bad feeling, y’know?  It’s like eating mashed potatoes at your friend’s house, only they put garlic in the potatoes instead of cheese.  It’s not a bad change, just an unexpected one.”

 

“Hunk’s right,” Allura chimed in, “Though I don’t know what a mashed potato is, there’s something very Altean-feeling about this ship, and I want to find out why.”

 

There was a general hum of agreement from the team as they broke into lions and made for the open hangar.

 

As soon as they all had landed and were out of their lions, the door leading to the hangar opened to reveal a small, purple probe not unlike the ones they had on their own ship.

 

“Hey―” Lance began before the probe started blinking.

 

“ _ Follow me, please. _ ” It said in a sing-song voice and turned away, exiting the door it had entered through.

 

Everyone turned to look at Keith, who took off his helmet and shook his head, “Just...do what it says, but keep your guard up.  We don’t know if this is a trap or not.”

 

They followed the probe down hallways and corridors, Lance marveling at the structure of the ship and how similar it was to theirs back home.  He thought that there might be a few more training decks than he remembered, but it felt about the same.

 

When they reached the dining room, Lance wasn’t really sure what to expect.  But he did know that it wasn’t this.

 

What he saw in front of him, at first glance, were four women, a boy, and a handsome young man around a table.  But the moment he took a second look, he had to refrain from completely losing his marbles.

 

“No way,” Hunk whispered as all eleven crew members stared at each other in shock.

 

Lance felt like he was staring into a funhouse mirror, looking at the six figures in front of him.  Five of them wore Paladin armor nearly identical to the kind his team wore, down to the different-colored symbols on their chests: blue, red, green, yellow, and pink.  Each of the Paladins, too, looked nearly identical to Lance’s teammates, down to the circular glasses the boy in green wore and the golden circlet on the tall, handsome man in pink standing in front of the rest of the group.

 

“You’re Altean?” Allura was the first to speak, moving forward and inspecting the group, “And so are you?” she turned to the only person in the group not wearing armor, a middle-aged woman with bright orange hair and blue markings under her eyes.

 

“Yes,” the man in the pink armor said, staring at Allura like he’d seen a ghost, “As are you!”

 

“Yes!” Allura cried, “We are the Paladins of Voltron, defender of the universe.  In our realm, that is.”

 

“Oh yeah,” the big girl in yellow grinned, “We know all about Voltron.”

 

“What?” Keith tensed beside Lance, “How―?”

 

“Cool your jets, mullet,” the girl in the blue armor interrupted, “We’re not going to try and steal your lions.  Why would we when already have our own?”

 

“ _ What? _ ”

 

“Lana, please,” the Pink Paladin sighed, “Forgive us, it seems we’ve gone about this whole ordeal completely wrong.

 

“Allow me to welcome you aboard.  I am Prince Alastair of planet Altea, communications liaison of the Rebel Alliance, and Paladin of the Blue Lion of Voltron.  And these people you see before you are the rest of our team Voltron.” he smiled and gestured to the crew members beside him, “This is Cora, my trusted advisor and friend, Pidge Gunderson, Huali, Lana, and Kiera, interim Paladin of the Black Lion and head of Voltron.”

 

Staring at the six members of this reality, Lance was struck with the realization that, just as they had run into the alternate versions of Slav and Shiro once, this must be the alternate versions of their crew in this reality.

 

“It is our pleasure,” Allura smiled kindly, “I am Princess Allura of Altea, and pilot of the Blue Lion of Voltron as well.  These are the rest of the Paladins: Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Keith.”

 

The two crews regarded each other for a moment before Keith spoke up, “What do you mean by ‘interim paladin’?” he stared at his counterpart in red armor, Kiera.

 

The entire crew’s faces fell, and Lance thought he saw the girl in blue, Lana, move imperceptibly closer to Kiera.

 

“It is...difficult to explain,” Alastair finally said, “the former Black Paladin is missing, and we are doing everything in our power to find her.”

 

“I know the feeling,” Keith replied quietly.

 

“We all do,” Lance interjected, reminding Keith that he wasn’t alone, “It took us a long time before we managed without Shiro, too.”

 

Alastair’s white brows knitted together at that, “It seems our respective timelines are quite similar.  I wonder how that can be possible?”

 

“I do not know,” Allura agreed, “Perhaps we could compare stories while we work on locating the Trifulgarian ore?”

 

“Certainly,” the prince smiled, “But first, you must be famished from your inter-reality travels.  Huali has just finished making a nice meal for our debrief,” as he spoke, platters carrying various types of food floated into the room and down on the table, “We would love for you to join us!”

 

The aroma instantly made Lance’s mouth water, and he heard Hunk make appreciative noises behind him.

 

“Oh yes!” Hunk cried out excitedly, “Don’t mind if we do!”

 

“Wonderful!” Cora, the orange-haired Altean clasped her hands together, “Alright, Paladins, take your seats!”

 

Lance took a seat between Pidge and Keith, right across from Lana, who smirked, “You aren’t going to cuff us together and make us feed each other again, are you, Cora?”

 

The Altean looked scandalized, “That was one time!  And it was only because you and Kiera wouldn’t stop yelling at each other like blabbering Snorflats!”

 

“Besides,” Huali said in between bites of her food, “We all know that you’d feed Kiera without the cuffs if she asked.”

 

Lana looked offended, “Be fair, Huali,” she picked up her fork and began stabbing at her plate, “We all know Kiera gets food in her hair unless someone spoon feeds her,” she flashed a shit-eating grin at the girl beside her.

 

On Lance’s left, Hunk and Pidge shared a look that he couldn’t quite understand while they dug into their food.

 

“Who made all of this?” Hunk yelled suddenly, “It’s fantastic!”

 

Huali blushed with pride, “I did!  It took me about a week or two, but I finally figured out the best ways to combine the salty nature of the gorniglobfan with the spicy lizzle plant and was able to create this!”

 

“It’s awesome!” Hunk laughed, “You’ll have to show me how you make that work!”

 

“I don’t think we’ll have time for that,” Keith gently reminded the big guy, “We have to find that ore and get back to Coran and the others.”

 

Both Yellow Paladins deflated at that remark, but neither of them objected, turning back to their food.

 

“So, uh, Pidge, was it?”  the kid in green armor piped up.  He was a small, squirrelly-looking kid in Lance’s opinion, though he didn’t look all that different from Pidge.

 

“Yeah,” the small girl replied, “And so is yours?”

 

“Well,” he smiled sheepishly, “My real name is Kendall Holt, but I needed an alias in the Garrison to keep me from going to prison.  I prefer Gunderson now.”

 

“Are you looking for your family, too?” Pidge asked eagerly, “Because in my reality I lost my father and brother when they were kidnapped during their mission on Kerberos.”

 

The boy’s eyes lit up, “That’s exactly what happened to my sister and dad!”

 

“Wow,” Pidge grinned, “Our realities really are parallel, aren’t they?”

 

“Yeah,” Gunderson laughed, “The only differences I can really tell is gender, but even then it feels like we’re all the same people, each person with a counterpart.”

 

“Gender is just a social structure anyway,” Pidge waved her hand, “I pretended to be a guy for nearly 3 months and Lance never noticed.”

 

“Oh man, that never would’ve worked with me; Takashi and Alastair made sure that we had no secrets between Paladins right off the bat,” the boy smiled, and then his face fell, “I hope we find her.”

 

“Well, if your Kiera is anywhere close to as determined as our Keith is, you will,” Pidge assured him.

 

Pretty soon they got back on the topic of alternate realities, quantum physics, and a bunch of other scientific stuff Lance could never hope to understand.  He turned to Keith and shrugged, “They lost me.”

 

Keith shook his head, “I’m just glad this didn’t turn out to be one of Lotor’s traps.”

 

Kiera’s attention snapped to the two of them, “Prince Lotor?”

 

Keith and Lance looked at each other, then back to the Red Paladin, “Yeah,” Keith replied, “He’s taken over for Zarkon since Voltron incapacitated him.”

 

Kiera’s eyebrows furrowed, and it looked like she wanted to say more, but simply nodded.

 

Lana suddenly reached up and brushed the hair back from the other girl’s face, “I’m going to have to get the mice to braid your hair again.  It keeps flopping in your eyes.”

 

Kiera groaned, “We’ve been over this!  Just because you can’t see my eyes doesn’t mean  _ I _ can’t see!”

 

“But I like to see your eyes!” Lana pouted.

 

Kiera scoffed, “Cargo Pilot.”

 

“Samurai.”

 

The two girls smiled at each other, and Lance suddenly felt very self-conscious.  It was obvious that Lana and Kiera were the Lance and Keith of this reality, and the way Lana looked at Kiera made him want to hide in a hole forever from second-hand embarrassment. There was something intimate about the softness of Lana’s eyes as she gave the classic McClain grin to Kiera.  It reminded him of how his  _ Mamá  _ would look at his  _ Papí _ , and he couldn’t help but admire such love on someone’s face.

 

Unfortunately, Lana caught him staring.

 

“The name’s Lana, by the way; I'm the Blue Paladin and pilot of the Red Lion,” she winked at him, and Lance couldn’t suppress his grin.  Even in this reality the Blue Paladin was as smooth as ever.

 

“And I’m Lance; Blue Paladin, sharpshooter, ladies’ man, though I guess you already knew that,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

 

The Blue Paladin glanced at Kiera and giggled like they were sharing some inside joke, “Oh don’t worry,” Kiera laughed, “We do.” She looked at Keith and mouthed something at him.

 

Keith choked on his drink and started coughing, his face nearly as red as his armor.

 

“Whoa buddy, you good?” Lance thumped him on the back as he continued to cough.

 

“Yeah,” the boy croaked, finally catching his breath, “Just went down the wrong pipe.”

 

“So, Keith,” Huali called across the table, “It is Keith, right? If our universes are basically the same, does that mean you’re part Galra too?”

 

“Oh my Groggery, Huali, you can’t just ask people if they’re Galra!” Lana yelled.

 

“Thanks, Regina,” Gunderson smirked as he eyed his teammates.

 

Huali scoffed, “Oh we all know that I’m the Gretchen Weiners on this castleship.”

 

“Pa-lease!” Lana rebuffed, “If anyone’s Gretchen, it’d be Kiera.  Her hair is endless and she’s full of secrets.”

 

“Enough with my hair already!”

 

Gunderson laughed, “So then would that make me the Cady in this scenario?” he asked.

 

“Nah,” Huali waved her hand, “You’re Janice.”

 

The Green Paladin nodded, “True.”

 

Lance watched this entire display of camaraderie with bewilderment and bliss.  It felt like he was at home again with his older sisters and cousins, and he suddenly felt much more at ease around these alternate versions of his friends.

 

“I’m not entirely sure what just happened,” Keith raised an eyebrow at Lance, “But yeah, I’m part Galra.”

 

“Do you know how much?” Kiera asked.

 

Keith looked down at his plate, “No.”

 

“Have you met her yet?” Lana blurted.

 

Lance was as confused as Keith looked, “Who?”

 

“That girl…” Lana tried to elaborate, “the one you found in the Weblum.  Do you know her?”

 

“You mean Prince Lotor’s top general?” Hunk asked, “That Galra?”

 

“Yeah. Do you know her?”

 

“Do you?” Allura asked, leaning across the table.

 

Lana looked a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention she was receiving.  Allura, Cora, and Alastair had been having their own conversation this whole time, and Lance knew the feeling of being pinned by Allura’s gaze.

 

“I―” the tan girl stammered, “Well, we―” she looked hopelessly at the Altean prince.

 

“We have run into Lotor’s generals several times in the short amount of time that he’s been taking care of the empire for Zarkon while Honerva strives to heal him,” Alastair explained, “These altercations have been intense and quite challenging for our team.”

 

“I understand,” Allura said solemnly, “It must not be easy with the Black Paladin gone.”

 

Kiera’s brows knitted together, “I’m not giving up hope that she’s out there,” she looked at Allura, “Takashi believed in me when no one else did, and I will always do the same for her.  She’s the closest thing I have to blood.”

 

“And we’re not giving up, either,” Lana smiled softly at her teammate, “We’re a team, remember?”

 

Kiera rolled her eyes, “Only when you remember our bonding moments.”

 

“I remember plenty!”

 

“Oh my gosh,” Pidge guffawed from beside Lance, “They’re even worse than you two!”

 

“Paladins, please,” Alastair looked exasperated, but Lance thought he saw a semblance of a smile on the young prince’s face, “Now that we’ve mostly gotten through the meal, I think it’s time we make a plan on how to get that ore.  Pidge―”

 

“Yeah?” both Green Paladins responded.

 

“Sorry, Gunderson,” Alastair corrected himself, “can you look up the Trifulgarian ore on the mainframe in the control room from here?  It might take a few ticks to download.”

 

“Sure thing, highness,” Gunderson nodded and began tapping at his holoscreen, “But what information would take so long to download?”

 

Alastair sighed, “There’s a reason the Trifulgarian ore can only be found in some realities, and most of it has to do with the messy, convoluted history of the ore.”

 

“Wait, what’s the history?” Hunk asked, “Is it some sort of trade secret?”

  
The prince closed his eyes, “Trifulgarian ore can only be found in this reality because the ore itself  _ is  _ a pocket reality.”


	2. Reality Marble, or Bounded Field?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Voltron crews realize that getting Trifulgarian ore might not be as cut and dry as they think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The support you guys are giving this means the world to me; this is the first original, long-term fanfic that I've ever written, and the fact that you guys WANT to read it is more than I could ask for! Thank you all!! :3
> 
> And a second shoutout to my forever beta and best girls, @genericfanatic and @voltron_assemle! The fem!paladins definitely take after the both of your lovely souls <3

“Wait, wait, wait, hold on,” Lance put his hands up, “You’re saying this ore we’re looking for is another reality inside of this reality?”

 

“Like one of those dolls where there’s another doll inside it?”  Hunk added.

 

“Not exactly,” Alastair stood, “But I’ll do my best to explain it in simple terms while we walk.”

 

Both Voltron crews stood to follow the Altean prince as he lead them to the control room.  Lance fell in step with Keith and Cora behind Allura and the prince, and he couldn’t help but marvel at the similarities between the two Alteans.

 

“The history of the Trifulgarian ore is messy and confusing for various reasons,” the prince continued, “Primarily because anyone who has come into contact with the ore has a different story to tell.”

 

“What kind of stories?” Pidge asked from behind Lance.

 

“Mostly a bunch of gibberish,” Cora chuckled, “Though there were a few very interesting recollections of―”

 

“Cora, please,” Alastair interrupted as they reached the control room, where a holographic display was already waiting for them.

 

“Whoa,” Gunderson and Pidge both gasped as everyone gathered around the screen.

 

Lance couldn’t help but marvel at what he was seeing; it seemed the very fabric of time and space was changing and shifting, even as he stared at it.

 

“What  _ is  _ that?” Keira asked, walking around the display to get a better look.

 

“That,” Cora responded, “is Trifulgarian.”

 

“It looks like it’s folding time and space itself,” Huali said, “Like when you bake bread and have to knead it into the proper shape.”

 

“But why?” Gunderson poked at the screen, “What’s making it do that?”

 

“We’re not sure,” Alastair responded, “No one does.”

 

Lance eyed Keith beside him, who met his gaze with the same amount of confusion.

 

“Hold on,” Allura suddenly spoke up, “I’ve seen something like this before,” she pointed at the display, “Pidge, can you take a look at this?”

 

“What is it, Allura?” she looked at where the princess was pointing.

 

“I recognize this string of chemicals and energies, but I can’t remember what it is.”

 

“Well, the formulas listed here are similar to the chemicals that were being flushed from Keith’s system after he got back from the Blade of Marmora’s base.” Pidge answered, zooming in on the readings.

 

“Hold on,” Keith stepped forward, “Who flushed what out of my system?”

 

“It was after you and Shiro brought back Kolivan and you discovered that you were part Galra,” Hunk explained, “You were hurt pretty bad, so we took you to the healing pod to make sure you were alright.”

 

“Yeah, I remember that,” Keith said, “But what chemicals were in me?”

 

“Shiro told us about the trials of Marmora, and how the final test involved getting inside your head,” Lance continued.  He remembered that vividly: being told that the suit Keith had worn messed with his brain and made him see things that weren’t there.  He remembered asking Shiro if Keith was going to be okay, and his leader’s concerned look said more than any words could.  He hated remembering that look.

 

“You had a lot of chemicals still working their way out of your system that caused the hallucinations,” Pidge said, continuing to examine the hologram, “And this ore is made of the same compounds, just in stronger doses.”

 

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed, “Kolivan never said anything about that, even after we got on good terms with them.”

 

“If your Blade is anything like ours, they won’t share any more than they have to, even though Honerva and Zarkon’s empire is crumbling.” Lana said, a harshness in her voice that sounded wrong coming from her.

 

Allura and Alastair shifted on their feet, both instinctively turning to look at Cora.

 

“Lana,” Keira put a hand on the Blue Paladin’s shoulder, “They tell us what they can,” she turned to the rest of the group, “the same thing happened to me, though I never knew about the chemicals in my system.”

 

“It doesn’t matter now, anyway,” Keith crossed his arms, “Getting this ore is the most important thing right now, and we need to stay focused on that.”

 

Though Lance didn’t like dropping this whole subject, he knew Keith had a point.

 

“So…” Huali eyed the group, “How do we go about doing that?”

 

“Well, according to the records, none of the crafts were ever successful,” Cora explained, “though it was never because the ore was hard to contain.”

 

“Then what went wrong?” Gunderson asked.

 

“It says that once the ore was in their possession the crew began hallucinating, though each ship has a different story,” Alastair said, typing something into the control board.  Files and drawings then appeared on the holographic display, replacing the image of the ore.

 

One of the drawings floated by Lance, and he reached out to inspect it as Keith grabbed the file floating beside it.  The drawing was amazing, showing an expansive terrain covered in what looked to be gems and geodes sprouting from the ground and rocky hills.

 

“This looks like the Balmera!” Lance held out the holo to the others.

 

“Lemme see,” Keith released the file and reached for the picture.  He examined it for a moment and nodded, “It does look like it, but it’s not quite right,” he showed it to Lance and pointed at a spot on the horizon, “There are houses and fixtures on the fringes here.” he then grabbed the file and scrolled through it, “This says that one of their crewmembers took off sprinting for the houses once he saw them, but that the more he ran the farther away they seemed.”

 

“Interesting,” Allura mused, “It also appears that these hallucinations described had some sort of personal significance to one or more of the crewmembers.”

 

“And those members were usually the first ones to come into contact with the ore,” Pidge continued, reading two files at once.

 

“That can’t be a coincidence,” Lana said.

 

“It’s not,” Hunk stepped forward and called back up the ore’s display, “If this ore is made of the same stuff that was in Keith’s suit, then it should have the ability to create...what did Kolivan call it?”

 

“A virtual mindscape!” Gunderson gasped, “One that shows the individual’s greatest hopes and fears.”

 

“Well that explains the space bread.” Hunk put a hand to his chin.

 

“It also explains the changing stories,” Keira’s eyes lit up, “Whenever the ore comes into contact with someone―”

 

“It creates a mass hallucination of that person’s mindscape!” Lana finished, staring at the Red Paladin in awe, “That’s fire!”

 

Lance had to force down the lump that caught in his throat at the familiar phrase and coughed gently, willing the sudden onslaught of tears to go away.  He felt Hunk’s eyes on him, but tried to ignore it.

 

“I’m sure that in some cases that’s exactly what it is,” Cora said, “But not the good kind.”

 

“These hallucinations―or mindscapes―have the tendency to lean on the fear of the individual rather than their hopes,” Alastair flipped through a few of the files.

 

“So it’s like going into the scary parts of your mind that you don’t like to think about?” Hunk asked for clarification.

 

No one responded immediately, and Lance could feel the tension in the room growing thicker with each tick of silence.

 

“Yes,” Keira looked at her feet, “that’s exactly what it does, Hunk.  When I went through the trials of Marmora, after I escaped the gladiators, I fell unconscious and entered into the virtual reality where I saw…” her voice trailed off, “things I’d rather not share.”

 

Lance watched as Lana reached over and grabbed Keira’s hand in hers, “And you don’t have to.” she smiled that fond smile again, and Lance fought the sudden urge to glance at Keith.  Shiro had explained that the Red Paladin experienced some painful things during the trails, but he never knew in what capacity.  He made a mental note to make sure and ask him about it later.

 

Huali whimpered, “I don’t know about you guys, but that’s not really a place I want to be going anytime soon.”

 

“We don’t have a choice,” Keith stated firmly, “The way I see it is that this ore we need to take down Lotor is right here and easy to take.  Whatever happens after we get it is a side-effect.”

 

“He’s right,” Allura said after a moment, “The Trifulgarian ore is our last hope of defeating Lotor and his armies.  Without it we are...what’s that Earthen phrase...duck seats?”

 

Lance had to stifle a groan and made another mental note to go over Earthen phrases with the princess once they got back into their own reality.

 

“I understand,” Alastair nodded, “Cora, set a course for the ore’s coordinates while I―”

 

“What?” Lance said, “You guys don’t have to come with us, it’s too dangerous!”

 

“You kidding?” Lana countered, “We’re not just gonna hang you guys out to dry and go on our merry way!”

 

“Yeah,” Gunderson piped up, “Besides, you guys are technically us, so why wouldn’t we help you out?”

 

“Those are my sentiments as well, fellow Paladins,” Alastair smiled, “Though we come from different worlds, we both have the same goals, and that’s what is important.”

 

Lance looked at his group and then back at the others with a smile.

 

“Well, I definitely like the idea of a group better,” Hunk grinned, “Strength in numbers, right?”

 

“Right!” Huali grinned right back, “Let’s go get some ore!”

 

And just like that, the tension in the room vanished.

 

“Wonderful,” Alastair clapped his hands together exactly like Allura did when she was excited about something, “Now I’m off to the laboratory; there might be a way to counteract the Trifulgarian chemicals with the right combination of alchemic forces.”

 

“You’re an alchemist?!” Pidge practically shrieked, “Can I come and watch?”

 

The prince laughed, “Of course!  I might need yours and Gunderson’s help to formulate things anyway.”

 

Pidge didn’t wait to be told twice; the moment Alastair had smiled she jumped up and practically sprinted after him, Gunderson right on their heels.

 

“I believe I’ll join them as well,” Allura said, “My father was an alchemist, and it might be good for me to learn a thing or two.”

 

Once she was gone Huali turned excitedly to Hunk, “Would you mind if I took a look at your lions?  I wanna see if you guys have any upgrades or advancements  in your reality that we don’t have!”

 

“Oh totally!” Hunk said, “So long as you get me that recipe from earlier.”

 

“Consider it done!”

 

The two of them took off down towards the hangar where Voltron was, and Lance turned to inspect the final pair of female Paladins as they spoke quietly.  They were looking over one of the holographic drawings from the display and were admiring it, their faces very close to the other.  It made Lance wonder just how close these Red and Blue Paladins had bonded.

 

“I don’t suppose the two of you would want to hit the training deck?” Lana looked up from the drawing and at him and Keith, “K and I were going to spar a bit and clear our heads.”

 

Lance eyed Keith, whose expression was...complicated.  The dark-haired boy’s eyes were trained on the two girls’ still twined hands.

 

“ _ Asere _ ,” Lance nudged him gently, “You wanna show these girls what our reality’s Red and Blue can do?”

 

Keith’s eyes came back into focus, and with a last glance at their interlocked fingers he met Lance’s gaze. “Sure, though I have a feeling your butt’s about to be kicked back into our reality.”

 

“ _ Oye _ !” Lance exclaimed, “How about I kick  _ your  _ butt into the next reality!”

 

Keith’s violet eyes gleamed, “Bring it on, Sharpshooter.”

 

“Oh, you’re on, Mullet!” he turned back to Lana and Keira, who were watching the two of them with amused expressions, “Let’s do this!”

 

Keira’s face cracked into the largest grin he’d ever seen, and Lance’s heart nearly stopped, “Reds vs. Blues?”

 

Keith’s grin matched his counterpart’s, and this time Lance was sure he’d go into cardiac arrest, “Let’s make some purple.”

 

And that was promptly when Lance realized he’d made a grave mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: okay okay, how do I give all this info and keep the klance?
> 
> Hopeless Romantic Me: "Casual displays of lesbian affectionTM" and "Flirty gay rivalryTM"
> 
> me: brilliant
> 
> QUICK POLL: Would you like to read a second primary POV from another character in this fic? If so: 1)Keira, 2)Keith, or 3)Lana?


	3. Shades of Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reds and Blues have a lot more in common than they think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter, you guys don't even know. Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoy!! <3

_Lance_

The training deck was prepped.  The teams had been decided.

 

The Blue Paladins stood on one end of the training deck which had been converted into an arena where they would fight their hot-headed counterparts.  Lance gripped his bayard tight, studying the Red Paladins across from him as they muttered quietly to each other.

 

“Let me guess,” Lana called to Lance, “Your Keith is just as hot as my Keira?”

 

Lance smirked, “Impulsive, hot-headed, and reckless?  Oh yeah, that’s Keith alright.”

 

Lana shoved on her helmet, “Good.” she then summoned her bayard, which began to glow, “Goad them until they slip?”

 

Lance had sparred with Keith enough times to know exactly what Lana meant, “Let’s do this.”

 

“You two ready over there, or are you getting cold feet?” Keira taunted.

 

“ _Escúchame, mi corazón,_ ” Lana stopped and cleared her throat, “Prepare for trouble!”

 

Lance grinned wickedly and summoned his bayard, “And make it double!”

 

Both Red Paladins groaned and drew their swords.

 

“Pokemon,” Keith scoffed, “Seriously?” he charged at the two of them.

 

“You know you love it!” Lana winked, shooting blasts at his feet to try and throw him off balance.

 

Keira laughed, “You’re such nerds.” she ran around the outside of the arena towards Lance.

 

Lance ran out to meet the Paladin and blocked her blade with his shield, “What, I thought girls were into nerdy guys?” he retorted.

 

Keria’s expression dropped and she shoved him away, facing him again with her blade, “I hate to tell you like this, but guys?” she grinned and dodged Lance’s blasts at her, “Not really my type.”

 

“Wait,” Lance’s mind went blank for a split second, and that was all Keira needed to get the upper hand.  She feigned a move to her right and dove left around Lance to his uncovered back.  She smacked him with the blunt of her blade, sending Lance careening forwards.  He fell face-first to the ground and looked back to his opponent, who stood over him with a grin.

 

Lance heard a yelp from across the arena, and just behind Keira he could see Keith and Lana facing off.  Though Keith was one of the fastest people he knew, Lana was even quicker.  She dodged every blow he sent her way, and with an expert move caught his blade on her blaster, spun him around, and flung him to the ground.  She leveled her blaster at his forehead, and a switch inside Lance flipped.

 

Without even knowing what he was doing, Lance rolled over and shot Keira square in the chest, then aimed straight at the base of Lana's helmet.  He fired, and with a clatter Lana fell to the ground, twitching slightly from the shock of his bayard’s _stun_ setting.

 

Keith stared at the fallen girl and turned to Lance with wide eyes.

 

“Uh,” Lance stuttered, “I...have no idea what just happened.” he stood slowly and extended a sheepish hand to Keira, who had also crumpled to the ground with Lance’s blast. “Something came over me and―”

 

“That―” Lana interrupted, groaning as she sat up, “was absolute _fire!_ ” she stumbled as she stood and ran over to Lance and Keira, “Where the quiznack did you learn that?  K, did you _see that_?”

 

Keira also groaned and sat up, taking the hand Lance offered to help her stand, “Yeah, I did.” she stared at him a bit incredulously, “Where _did_ you learn to shoot like that?” she asked with much more skepticism than her partner.

 

“I―” Lance was still reeling himself, but when he looked behind the two girls and saw Keith take off his helmet, smiling fondly, he remembered himself, “I told you, I’m the ninja sharpshooter of our team,” he rubbed his chin and rested his bayard on his hip, “Pretty cool, right?”

 

Keira crossed her arms, “It was...adequate.  Though I’m not so sure you can take much pride in betraying your teammate for your opponent.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Lana frowned, “That’s not cool, _asere_.”

 

Lance felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, “Sorry about that.  It was just―” he caught Keith’s gaze and felt his face warm even more, “Instinct, I guess.”

 

The two girl Paladins raised their eyebrows and shared a look, “Instinct, huh?”

 

“Yup!”

 

Lana smirked at Keira and shrugged, “Fair enough.” she turned to Keith, “Rematch?”

 

“You bet,” Keith shoved his helmet back on, “Lance isn’t the only one with killer instinct on our team.”

 

“Well let’s just hope that instinct stays focused,” Lana laughed and summoned her bayard again, “Let’s get this show on the road!”

 

* * *

 

 

For nearly 2 hours the four Paladins sparred together, sometimes switching teams, sometimes doing one-on-one combat, but mostly Reds vs. Blues like the first round.  Lance couldn’t help but notice the near effortlessness with which these girls carried themselves and fought, not only individually, but together.  There was a round where the four of them decided to have a contest to see which pair could beat the gladiator first: Keith and Lance, or Keira and Lana?  After the two boys had gone, Lance watched in awe at how fluidly and efficiently the two girls took down the robot, beating Lance and Keith’s best time by a near 2 minutes.

 

Also, the way the girls interacted with each other was something of a novelty for Lance.  There was such a strong sense of trust and support from one Paladin to the other that was almost overwhelming.  Lana would cheer and laugh when Keira would do something well, and yet wasn’t afraid to cackle if the smaller girl fumbled and gently correct her if she messed up.  Keira’s support was quieter, and more subdued, but no less intense.  There would be times when Lana would completely destroy her opponent, and even if it was her, Keira would smile gently and glow with pride, giving small words of encouragement that seemed the world to Lana.  she also called out corrections and advice to her Blue Paladin if she was in trouble, and Lana would barely ever hesitate before following suit.

 

Lance’s head was spinning with the sheer chemistry these girls had together, and he couldn’t help but admire it.

 

Lana shucked off her helmet and wiped her brow, “I’m exhausted.” she walked over and thumped Keith on the back, “You guys really know how to fight!”

 

“So do you,” Keith took off his helmet and shook the hair out of his eyes.

 

“Yeah!” Lance yelled, just as excited and worn out as Lana, “How long have you two been sparring together?”

 

The Blue Paladin’s expression became mixed.

 

“After we lost Takashi, we all were in a pretty bad spot, especially me,” Keira responded quietly, “Training just...has helped us stay focused.”

 

“Really?” Lance asked, hardly able to believe it, “You’ve only been training like this for a few weeks?”

 

“A few months, actually,” Lana said.

 

“Three months, two days, and about ten hours.” Keira corrected, a cluster of emotions scrawled across her face.

 

“Wow,” Keith breathed, “And you’ve been able to become that in-sync just by training?”

 

“Well, we’ve had a lot of mission time as a team,” Lana elaborated, “And... _other things_.”

 

“Oh my god,” Keira scoffed, her cheeks flushing nearly as red as her armor, “You’re the _wooorst_!” she shoved at Lana, who cackled and threw an arm around her shoulders.

 

“But you _loooove_ me!”

 

Keira looked like she was trying her hardest not to smile, “Some days more than others.”

 

Lance felt a surge of second-hand embarrassment again and deliberately avoided eye contact with Keith.

 

“Well, I don’t know about you guys,” Keith said uncomfortably, “But I need a hot shower; I smell almost as bad as that one week I didn’t have water out in the desert.”

 

Both Blue Paladins immediately wrinkled their noses in disgust, “Aw, dude!” Lance yelled, “ _no bueno_ in front of the ladies!”

 

Keith shrugged, “You two don’t seem the type to care about guys.”

 

Keira’s smile was knowing, and Lance wondered if it had something to do with whatever she had told him at lunch a few hours ago.

 

“Depends on the day, mullet man,” Lana raised an eyebrow, “But you have a point.  I think we all need a shower and some clean clothes.” she removed her arm from Keira’s shoulders and headed towards the exit, “There are showers just beyond that door on the other side of the deck, as well as some old Altean uniforms.  If nothing fits, just comm Cora and she’ll pair you up with something!”

 

Lance turned and saw the door Lana had been talking about. “Thanks!” he called after the girls as they left for their rooms, where Lance was sure they had their own private bathrooms like he and Keith did in their reality.

 

Once the door closed behind the two Paladins, Lance and Keith made their way over to what could only be described as a space gym locker room.

 

“Oh gosh,” Keith said as they entered the open area, “I haven’t been in a locker room like this since I left the Garrison.”

 

Lance looked at Keith.  The comment he’d made about his shower habits in the desert had been disgusting, for sure, but he felt like there was something else lying underneath it.

 

“You don’t talk a lot about what happened after you dropped out,” Lance commented, starting to root through the big cabinets for shower supplies and clothes, “What exactly _were_ you doing out there for those couple months?”

 

“Honestly?” Keith began systematically removing his red and white armor like he always did: gauntlets, chestplate, belt, greaves, then shoes.  Lance wondered when he had started paying attention to Keith’s undressing habits and immediately snapped from that train of thought.

 

Keith sighed as he undid the clasp of his breastplate, “I guess the easy answer is that I became really depressed.  I didn’t want to believe what the Garrison had said about Shiro being dead, but I couldn’t come up with any other logical explanation, so I just became really angry and aggressive.  And, as you know, I got the boot for it.”

 

Lance bit back the urge to tease him about his emo temperament; it wasn’t often that Keith opened up to him like this, even after they had developed this sort of...Lance wasn’t quite sure what to call their relationship now.  They definitely weren’t rivals anymore, teammate sounded too impersonal, and friend…

 

They had been through too much for Keith to simply be his friend.  Hunk was his _asere_ , his brother, the guy he trusted more than anyone.  Pidge was his _hermanita_ , the little sister he never had.   _Tio_ Coran was exactly that, and though he used to flirt with her, Lance saw Allura more as the close hot cousin than anything else.  And Shiro was his Space Padre, no need for explanations there.

 

But _Keith_ …

 

Keith with his sparkling eyes and smile that could be as sharp as his bayard, yet softer than his baby niece’s cheeks.  Keith with his calloused hands and broad chest and―

 

“Hey, you okay?”

 

Lance shook his head and realized he’d been zoning out, staring at Keith as he took off his armor.  The back of his neck burned, “Sorry, I just kinda…” he trailed off, not really wanting to elaborate on his train of thought.

 

Keith smiled ruefully, “You must’ve really been out of it, to not even try and make a joke at my expense.” he paused and then looked up at Lance again, “I guess, though, you’ve been pretty lax on those since we switched Lions.”

 

“Maybe I’m just more mature is all,” Lance shrugged, saying the first thing that came to mind, “If it bothers you I’m sure I could find _something_ to tease you with every day.”

 

“I’m sure you could.”

 

There was something in the Red Paladin’s eyes that made Lance feel jittery inside, and he wasn’t sure if he liked that, so he excused himself and started for the shower farthest away from the locker room, hoping the hot water would clear his head.

 

* * *

 

 

_Keira_

Keira was never good with numbers.  Even when she’d been the top pilot in the Garrison―much to everyone’s sexist surprise―she’d never been the best at calculating numbers and ratios and all that other crap you needed to fly.  It had always been pure instinct for her, and the thrill of flying fast and hard was all she needed in life.

 

So for her to know exactly how many days, months, and hours Takashi had been missing was a big deal, and it wasn’t even something Keira realized she was keeping track of.  She wasn’t sure how she felt, knowing that about herself.

 

Lana sighed beside her, stretching her long arms over her head as they walked, “Man, those boys are really oblivious, aren’t they?”

 

Keira grinned, “Not much more than you were.”

 

Lana gave her the stink eye and ignored the comment, “But seriously.  It’s near _painful_ to watch how they dance around each other.”

 

“True; this Keith is just about as awkward as me, and that Lance guy is even more cringey than you,” she nudged her fellow paladin with her shoulder.

 

Lana laced her hands behind her head, thinking, “Do you think this is some sort of twisted punishment from Huali and Gunderson?  For making them suffer while we danced around each other?”

 

Keira couldn’t help but laugh at that, “Maybe,” they reached Lana’s bedroom, “Though I have a feeling if it were, Gunderson would be lording it over us incessantly.”

 

Lana laughed as well, like it was bubbling out of her, “True.” Lana then turned to face her Red Paladin with a soft smile on her face, “We’re really lucky, aren’t we?”

 

Keira reached up and pulled Lana’s chin down to hers with a gentle kiss. “Yeah, we are,” she whispered against her Blue Paladin’s lips.

 

The taller girl hummed, rubbing their noses together.

 

“You stink.”

 

Lana laughed and playfully pushed Keira back, “You’re one to talk, miss _‘I-only-wash-my-hair-once-a-week’_.”

 

Keira snorted, “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

 

“I think we both know that everything about you is what helps me sleep at night.” Lana said softly.

 

“I know,” Keira replied, just as softly.

 

Lana reached out and squeezed the Red Paladin’s fingers once, then retreated into her room to get cleaned up.

 

Another thing she knew the exact dates and times for that she very much _did_ know how she felt about was this:

 

It had been exactly 2 months, 21 days, and 14 hours since she and Lana had started dating, or whatever you could call it out here in space.

 

Keira smiled to herself and walked to her room just down the hall from Lana’s.  They had been talking about her possibly moving into Lana’s room and just storing their big stuff over in Keira’s, but she had a feeling it would be a while before that ever actually happened.  And, strangely enough, Keira found she didn’t mind taking things slowly for once.  She had a feeling that what the two of them had wasn’t a temporary thing, and she wanted to make sure she did everything the right way.

 

Now that she thought about it, Keira realized it had been much longer than 2 months that she knew she had feelings for the Blue Paladin.

 

She wasn’t sure exactly when she knew her feelings were as strong as they were, but she did know there had been a lot of little things leading up to it.

 

Had it been when Lana told her to pilot Black, even when she didn’t want to, saying it’s what Takashi would’ve wanted?  Or when she’d realized she was part Galra and hated herself, and Lana had been there, not letting her struggle alone?  Or, did it go all the way back to that night Sendak had nearly taken over the castle and Lana looked her right in the eyes as she cradled the Blue Paladin in her arms?

 

Keira felt herself blush just thinking about that, realizing how utterly and completely far-gone she was for this girl.

 

After jumping through the shower, the Red Paladin was about to go find Huali and have the nimble-fingered engineer braid her hair when there was a gentle tap at her door.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Um,” a voice squeaked on the other side, “Keira?  It’s Allura, from the alternate reality?”

 

Keira furrowed her brows and opened the door to reveal the Altean princess, still in her pink armor and looking slightly awkward. “Yes, Princess?”

 

“Oh, please, just call me Allura.” the young woman said, “Would you...do you by chance…” she shook her head and stood straighter, “I’d like to change into something more comfortable, and Alastair said to ask either you or Lana for some clothes, seeing as we’re about the same size?”

 

Keira blinked, “Of course!” she wordlessly invited the Altean in, “I’m not sure that you’ll like my sense of style very much, but you’re welcome to anything that fits!”

 

“Thank you very much,” Allura smiled and entered the room, following Keira as she opened drawers and the closet for her to see what was available.

 

Keira stepped back as the princess rummaged through the few articles of clothing the Red Paladin had accumulated during their time in space.  A lot of the shirts and things were actually old Altean articles of clothing, just altered slightly to fit Keira’s personal size and liking.

 

“So Keira, how long have you and Lana been together?”

 

“That’s a pretty forward question.” Keira retorted without thinking.

 

The princess paused, “I suppose it was.  Please forgive me, I am still getting used to Earthlings and their different customs on courting.”

 

Keira couldn’t help but smile at that; this girl and Alastair were really two of a kind. “It’s fine.  I’m just...a little more on the reserved side anyway, and with strangers I―”

 

“Say no more,” Allura smiled back, “You’re very much like our Keith, and he’s exactly the same way.”

 

“Yeah, I guess our worlds are pretty parallel,” Keira said.

 

“But there are things that are different,” the princess stated, “Or, at least, there are timelines that have occurred in our world but not yet here.”

 

“I guess.” Keira shrugged.

 

“And there are things you know here that we have yet to find out in our world.”

 

Keira wasn’t certain what that look in the Princess’s eyes was, and she didn’t answer.

 

“Keira, what do you know about Lotor and his generals?”

 

The Red Paladin crossed her arms, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Of course you do, I saw the way you looked at Lana during the meal when she mentioned that Galra you rescued in the Weblum.  You know that Galra, and not just because you saved her.  Your crew is hiding something.”

 

“Well, maybe it’s for your own good!”

 

“How is withholding vital information about our enemies good?”

 

“You and I have different standards on who our enemies are.”

 

“So you’re saying Lotor isn’t a threat?”

 

“Of course he is!” Keira shouted, then took a deep breath to calm herself, “I’m simply pointing out that it might not be a good idea to tell you _everything_ we know.  Our timelines and worlds are eerily similar, but I don’t want to give you ideas that are likely to blow up in your faces in your reality!”

 

The Princess and Red Paladin stared each other down, and Keira wondered if this princess could see anything past the war she fought.

 

After a moment, Keira dropped her gaze, “You should probably get back to your team; they’ll wonder what’s taking you so long.”

 

Allura seemed to remember the clothes she held in a vice-like grip and relaxed, “I suppose so.  Thank you for lending them to me.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.  Lana and I steal each other’s clothes all the time, so I’m used to it.”

 

“Is that a common thing amongst Earth couples?  Sharing articles of clothing?”

 

It was almost alarming how quickly Alteans were able to go from being hard badasses to confused children. “It’s more of a girl-to-girl thing, but yeah, some couples steal jackets and things from each other.  I’m sure Lana and Huali could explain it better, though.  I didn’t grow up with sisters or a mom like they did.”

 

Allura’s eyebrows furrowed, “I’ll have to take your word on that, then.”

 

Keira nodded and ran her fingers through her still-damp hair, starting to feel the awkward silence settle.

 

“I’ll leave you,” the Altean turned away.

 

Before she could leave, the question that had been burning in Keira’s chest fired out, “Did you ever find your Takashi?”

 

Allura paused, and Keira hated herself for asking the question.  She didn’t want to know, need to know, because if Keith was the official pilot of the Black Lion, the only thing that could mean is that the Black Paladin was gone.

 

“I’m sorry, forget I said anything, I don’t want to know―”

 

“Yes,” Allura interrupted, not turning to look at her, “We found Shiro.”

 

Keira felt her chest expand, a weight lifting―

 

“But I don’t know if you will.  Our realities are different, after all.”

 

And that was how Allura took her leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance: *sees Keith in danger*  
> Lance: *DEFENSE MODE ACTIVATE*


	4. The Red Lion is a Good Parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Red and Blue Paladins are beginning to question who their real allies are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! So sorry about the lateness of this update; I've had a crazy couple of weeks.
> 
> This chapter was difficult, yet fun to write, so I hope you enjoy!! <3

_ Lance _

“I knew I should’ve packed an overnight bag.” Lance groaned and rubbed his chin mournfully, “my skin’ll be disgusting by the time we get back, not to mention the amount of stubble I’ll have if we’re here longer than three days!”

 

Keith stopped in his hair-drying process that consisted of a towel and furious scrubbing. “You grow facial hair that quickly?”

 

“Well,” Lance waved his hand, “Kinda.  It takes me awhile to get a good beard going, but I hate how scruffy I look with stubble.  Ladies don’t like the caveman look.

 

Keith let out a humorless laugh, “Maybe it’s a Galra thing, but I’ve never grown facial hair.”

 

_ That  _ caught Lance’s attention. “ _ Que? _ ”

 

“Yeah, I’ve just never had to worry about it.”

 

“Dude, how?  Hunk has a full-blown beard in 3 days, Shiro had intense scruff when we found him, and you’ve seen Coran―”

 

“Look, it’s not that big a deal, get over it!” Keith huffed and pulled the towel off his head, his mullet an absolute mess.  Lance fought the urge to go over there and run his hands through the boy’s tousled locks, if nothing else but to try and tame it.

 

Lance sighed, “Fiiiine.  Let’s go find the others; I sure hope Pidge squared haven’t found a way to blow us up yet.”

 

Keith smiled, “And I hope Hunk makes sure Huali doesn’t poke around Red.  You know how temperamental she is.”

 

“Nah, she’s only that way with you.”

 

Keith paused, “What?”

 

Lance turned to face the Red Paladin, “I just mean―she misses having you as her pilot.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“I―” Lance broke off, suddenly unable to meet Keith’s gaze, “You know what it’s like, having the Lions feed images into your brain.  You can really tell what they’re thinking and feeling, just like they can tell what we think and feel as their pilots.”

 

“And she said specifically that she misses me as her pilot?”

 

“Well, sorta,” the Blue Paladin shifted uncomfortably, “It’s more like she misses your hum of happiness, getting to fly as fast and hard as you like. Not bound by the restrictions of leading us and carrying the world on your shoulders.”

 

Lance felt Keith’s eyes on him, and he tried not to squirm under his gaze.  Sometimes Keith’s stares were harder to handle than their bickering, because when they fought at least Lance could defend himself.  But being pinned by those eyes made Lance’s body react in ways he didn’t know how to handle.

 

“Lance,” Keith stood and walked over to him, “Piloting the Black Lion isn’t a burden, not anymore.  And if I remember correctly, Red  _ called  _ to you, practically begging you to be her pilot, right?  I had to get ejected into  _ space  _ for her to even acknowledge my existence!”

 

“I guess,” Lance crossed his arms.

 

“Look, she chose you.  Just like the Blue Lion did on that first day, Red chose you to be her pilot, her paladin.”

 

Lance finally met Keith’s eyes, and his chest warmed seeing the fierceness in them. “You’ve gotten a lot better on the whole ‘words of encouragement’ thing.  Have you been talking to Hunk?” he smiled wryly.

 

Keith rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Yeah, yeah, it’s not like you could do any better!”

 

“This coming from the guy who used the line, and I quote: ‘Leave the math to Pidge’ as his main point of advice.” Lance shoved his shoulder playfully.

 

“Oh, and you’re any better, Mr. cheesy one-liners?” Keith shoved back.

 

“ _ Oye!  _ My pickup lines are the best in the entire  _ galaxy _ , and you’ve been blessed to hear them in passing!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Keith raised an eyebrow, “then show me, and not in passing!”

 

“What?”

 

“If your pickup lines are so legendary, then prove it!”

 

“Well maybe I will!”

 

“Go for it, then!”

 

“Fine!”

 

“Fine!”

 

The two boys stared at each other, neither having realized how close their faces had gotten to the other.  Lance could almost feels Keith’s breath on his lips, and something tugged at Lance’s gut.  It was warm and not unpleasant, yet there was a restlessness to it, an aching helpless pain.  The back of his neck burned, and he quickly composed himself.

 

“Hey babe,” Lance stepped back and gave his dashing grin, “Are you the sun?  Because the closer we get, the hotter you become.”

 

“Oh my god,” Keith’s cheeks pinked, “That’s awful.  Who the quiznack taught you that one?”

 

“Well I made  _ you  _ blush, so it can’t be that bad!” Lance spluttered, feeling his own cheeks warm.  The tugging at his gut worsened as Keith’s hair fell in his face and framed his purple eyes.

 

Keith rolled his eyes and turned around, gathering up the pieces of his armor into a bag they’d found in one of the lockers.  They both found the Altean uniforms Lana had mentioned, and Lance felt pretty comfortable in his.  They were similar to what Coran wore all the time in their reality, with just a few minor differences in color and some of the patterns.

 

“We should get back to the others, see how close we are to getting that ore.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance hummed, then with a shit-eating grin came right up behind Keith and whispered, “Are you from outer space?  Because your body is out of this  _ world _ !”

 

Keith’s entire face went red and his eyes were wide. “What the actual  _ quiznack _ , Lance?!”

 

“Dude, you blush  _ so easily _ !” Lance cackled at his Red Paladin, “I’m pretty sure that whatever Galra you have in you is pretty faint, because there’s  _ no way _ those hyena aliens blush like that!”

 

Keith looked like he wanted nothing more than to punch Lance in the face.

 

“It’s moments like this I miss my desert shack.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance grabbed the bag full of his paladin armor, “C’mon, Red Mullet, let’s go put these in our Lions and find the others.”

 

* * *

 

_ Keith _

When the two Paladins reached the hangar where they’d left their Lions, Keith was sure someone was dying.  Or, at least, from the amount of yelling and screaming happening it was the only plausible explanation.  Hunk, Huali, and Cora were all sitting together beside the Yellow Lion and howling, rolling on their backs, tears streaming down all of their faces.  It took Keith longer than it should’ve to realize the trio was laughing and not dying.

 

Keith eyed Lance, who met his gaze with the same confused look, eyebrows cocked in that adorable way they always did.  The Blue Paladin’s face said  _ ‘I have no clue.’  _

 

“Guys!” Keith barked, trying to get the three crewmembers’ attention, “What’s going on here?”

 

“Lance!  Keith!” Hunk yelled, rolling back onto his stomach and grinning brightly, “You just missed it, Huali just made the best knock-knock joke!  Huali, tell ‘em!”

 

“Ummm, I don’t think―” Lance started, but was interrupted by Huali practically leaping on top of him.

 

“Knock knock!”

 

“Uhh,” Lance stammered, and Keith tried not to laugh.  Huali had Lance trapped in what keith liked to call “the Hunk clutch”, where the Yellow Paladin grips both of their victim’s arms and practically shoves their nose into their face.  The only way to escape said hold is to go along with it until said Yellow Paladin is satisfied.

 

“Oookay,” Lance shrugged as best he could, “Who’s there?”

 

Huali practically beamed, “Interrupting coefficient of friction.”

 

“Interrupting coefficient of wha―”

 

“MUUUUUUU!” the girl yelled in his face as she, Hunk, and Cora all bust out in laughter, howling and yelling all together.

 

Lance looked over at Keith and shrugged helplessly.  Half the time when Hunk or Pidge made a joke he couldn’t understand a single word of what they were saying.

 

“Okay,” Lance sighed, “I’m glad you all have the same sense of humor.”

 

Keith finally cut through the noise, “I thought you guys were comparing Lions?”

 

“Oh, they are!” Cora jumped to her feet, “I was simply regaling the both of them with tales of the original Paladins in this reality when Huali remembered her fantastic joke!”

 

“Right,” Lance eyed Keith again and turned back to the Altean, “Well, Keith and I will get out of your hair, we’re just gonna put our armor in our Lions and go find the prince and princess.”

 

“You mean Alastair?” Huali asked, “He just stopped by a second ago asking where you two and the girls were.”

 

“We just got done cleaning up after sparring with them,” Keith said, “Lance and I figured we’d ask how much longer it would be until we reached the ore.”

 

“Oh,” Cora piped up, “It will be at  _ least _ three quintents before we reach the Slygor system, where the Trifulgarian is found!”

 

“What?” the three boys said at the same time.

 

“Yes, did Prince Alastair not mention that earlier?”

 

Keith did his best not to grind his teeth together, “No, he didn’t say that.”

 

“Oh, well I’m sure he meant to; we’ve been having trouble with our wormholes as of late, so traveling has taken longer as a result.”

 

“What’s wrong with your wormholer?” Lance asked, “Do you need teladuv lenses?” he rubbed his hands together, and Keith knew he was thinking about the space mall.

 

“No, though I’m impressed you know what those are!” Cora smiled, “What we’ve been struggling with is the lack of quintessence and energy needed to create wormholes.”

 

“But doesn’t Alastair supply the energy needed?” Hunk added in, “I mean, in our reality that’s what Allura does.”

 

“Is there something wrong with the Prince?” Lance instantly looked worries, making Keith anxious as well.  Ever since he had started piloting the Black Lion, Keith had become even more attuned to emotions than before, and though he was still socially awkward and didn’t know how to relate to the others at times, his teammates pulled the feelings out of his tangled psyche.

 

“Perhaps in your reality that is the case, but not so here,” Cora said, an awkward stiffness in her voice.  Keith had seen that expression on enough social workers and teachers to know what it meant, and it was confirmed by the sudden way Huali refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

 

Cora was lying, which meant they were hiding something.

 

It took all of Keith’s remembrance of how diplomacy worked to not explode at the both of them, “I guess that makes sense.  Our realities aren’t  _ totally _ parallel.”

 

“Exactly,” Cora smiled, “Though we’re similar, there are rather obvious differences.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Lance interjected, “the universe couldn’t copy this perfection.  I’m one of a kind.”

 

Huali snorted, “Tell that to Lana, she says the same thing.”

 

“Which reminds me,” the Blue Paladin continued, “Where’s Red?  I wanna put this stuff down and get exploring.”

 

“Your lions should be over that direction,” Huali and Hunk pointed to the left.

 

“Great, we’ll be back.” Lance smiled as he and Keith made their way to the Red Lion.

 

“Hey, Lance,” Keith began when they reached her, “Can I just put my armor down in Red for right now?”

 

There must’ve been something in Keith’s tone, because for once Lance didn’t argue with him. “Sure thing, buddy.”

 

Keith was afraid at first that Red wouldn’t even let him in, but she lowered her head and catwalk as soon as the boys were close enough.  When they stepped inside he immediately felt the hum of Red’s thoughts on the fringes of his mind, and he remembered what Lance had said about her missing him.  He reached out tentatively to her in his thoughts and was suddenly hit with an onslaught of emotions, ranging everywhere from pride and joy to sadness and heartache.  There was something else there, too, a sort of underlying amusement directed to her former and current Paladins.

 

“Hey Red!” Lance called cheerily to the giant cat, “Keith and I are just gonna put our armor away in one of your storage units here for now.”

 

Keith felt Red’s purr of assent in his head, “I’m glad you talk to her.  Apparently while Alfor was Paladin they would talk nearly nonstop, and she missed that in the 10,000 year gap.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Lance raised an eyebrow, “She told me you would talk to her a lot.”

 

Keith felt his cheeks warm.  He wondered what  _ exactly _ Red had been telling Lance.

 

“Okay, out with it.”

 

Keith froze. “What?”

 

“Something’s bothering you, and since Shiro’s not here you need to talk to someone.  What’s up?”

 

“Oh,” Keith felt his heartbeat return to its normal pace, “Yeah.  I just…” he suddenly remembered the look on Keira’s face when she asked if they knew Lotor’s generals, “These Voltron paladins, there’s something they’re not telling us.  Something important.”

 

“Is this about Lana clamming up during lunch?  Because that was weird.”

 

Keith shook his head, “Not just that, did you see how those two just now acted when the quint―stuff was mentioned?”

 

Lance chuckled slightly, which ticked Keith off.  What had he said that could possibly be funny?

 

He must’ve been scowling quite impressively, because Lance spread out his arms, “Sorry, I know it’s not funny, but your inability to pronounce aliens things is ironic, considering you’re the only part alien Paladin.”

 

“Allura’s alien!”

 

“ _ Part  _ alien,  _ mi amigo _ .” Lance grinned, and Keith hated how much that smile made his pulse trip. “But yeah, that was kinda strange.”

 

“They’re hiding something.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Positive.”

 

Lance held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.  I trust you.”

 

Keith’s resolve bolstered, “Good.  Because I’m going to talk to the Prince, and I want you with me.”

 

“Whoa, hold up,” Lance moved closer to Keith, “Are you sure that’s a good idea to just confront him like that?  We are kinda his guests on this ship.”

 

Keith was going to argue when Red rumbled in warning.

 

“Someone’s coming,” they said at the same time.

 

“Lance?  Keith?” Allura’s voice called from outside, “Are you two in there?”

 

Keith glanced over at Lance before shouting back, “Yeah, we’ll be right down, Allura!” he began to make his way out when he felt Lance’s hand on his arm.

 

“Keith,” the Red Paladin spun around to face Lance as he spoke, “Please don’t do anything too impulsive.”

 

Keith could barely register the words coming out of the taller boy’s mouth because everywhere Lance’s skin touched, Keith felt electrified and warm.  Thankfully some part of him retained sense and replied, “That’s what you’re here for, right?  My right hand, impulse control, eye in the sky sharpshooter?”

 

Lance took a moment to respond, looking like he had swallowed a lemon, “Yup, that’s me,” he squeaked, “cool ninja sharpshooter and right hand, yup!” he pulled his hand back and turned to leave Red, “Let’s go see what’s up with Allura.”

 

* * *

 

_ Lana _

Lana had lost track of how many times she’d run into Alastair in the observatory, gazing wistfully at the holograph galaxies.

 

Lana had lost track of the times where it had been Alastair who found her there, clutching her brother’s old jacket and trying to remember what home smelled like.  Every time she washed her hair or used a new alien product on her skin, Lana could feel her old life being washed away with it.  There were times when putting in her face mask was a kick in the chest, and Huali’s laughter made her want to cease existence.

 

The observatory doors opened, and Lana was surprised to see not only Alastair, but Keira as well, talking about something.  She could tell that her Red Paladin was upset from the way she flailed her arms about as she spoke.

 

“Hey,” Lana stepped in the room towards them, “Is everything okay?”

 

Keira turned to face her, and she knew immediately that the answer was  _ no _ .  It was not.

 

“Our inter-dimensional counterparts are beginning to question where our loyalties lie,” Alastair said, his eyebrows pinched in concern.

 

“What?” Lana was shocked, “Why would they question that?”

 

“Apparently they’ve run into problems with people in other realities before,” the prince answered, “Their Pidge told me that they traveled to a world where Altea became a regime that conquered their enemies by taking away their free will.”

 

“That’s horrible!”

 

Keira’s eyebrows furrowed, “And they think we could be like them, or worse.”

 

“But we’re the same people and have the same goals, just in parallel dimensions!” Lana argued.

 

“No,” Keira said firmly, “We’re not.”

 

Lana hadn’t seen her girlfriend this distraught since― “Their Takashi,” Lana’s voice shook, “Is she―is he―?”

 

“Alive,” she confirmed, and Lana felt relief course through her system.

 

“Then, that means it’s possible she’s still alive, right?” the Blue Paladin looked from Keira to Alastair.

 

The prince’s pointed ears twitched, “We can only hope so.” He turned to Keira, “What else did my counterpart tell you?”

 

The Red Paladin shook her head, “She didn’t say as much, but I think she believes us to be on the same side as Lotor and his generals.”

 

There was a pause as they considered this.

 

“Well, they’re not entirely wrong,” Lana said.

 

“Yes, but they don’t know what we know about the generals.  Their team has barely come into contact with them in their world, so they see Axca and the rest as enemies.”

 

“And who knows if our anomaly even stretches across to their reality?” Alastair pondered.

 

“Exactly.”

 

Lana nodded, though she felt bad about it.  It felt wrong to not tell their allies about this.

 

“What about Honerva?” Lana asked, “Do we tell them about her and the quintessence issue?”

 

Alastair paused for a moment, thinking. “Unless it becomes necessary, I think we should avoid talking about our enemies and their strategies.  We don’t know where they stand in defeating the Galra empire, and it appears that even though we’re parallel on the surface, there is much that differs between our worlds.”

 

“Which begs the question: how different?” Keira asked, “And is that something we should be worried about?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *Google searches an advanced science joke for fanfic*  
> Google.com: *hardcore judging me*  
> Me: Oh, shut your quiznack, I'm not an engineer
> 
> (Red ships it harder than anyone)


	5. friends? foes? friendly foes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is pining, Lance is oblivious, Keira is concerned, and Lana is…asleep somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAH OKAY SO A POEM FOR YOU:
> 
> I'm finally updating   
> for the first time in a month  
> I know, I know,  
> I'm sorry  
> -Cait

_ Keith _

“Woah, Allura, you look...different!” Lance exclaimed as he and Keith stepped out of Red.

 

Keith couldn’t help but agree with Lance’s statement.  Allura was dressed more casually than he had ever seen the princess, in a black v-neck and jeans and cloud of hair pulled into a ponytail.

 

“Please do not remind me,” she frowned, “I feel so strange in these earthen fabrics.”

 

“Same here,” Keith mumbled, resisting the urge to pull at his red Altean tunic.  He felt overdressed and the suit made his nose itch uncomfortably.

 

“Speak for yourself, I feel awesome!” Lance laughed like Keith had expected him to, proudly strutting the blue threads he’d found.

 

“You’re something, all right,” Keith smirked, and before the other boy could retort turned back to Allura, “But I’m guessing you didn’t find us to talk about clothes?”

 

Allura’s lips tightened, “No, indeed.  I came looking for you because I don’t trust these other Voltron members, and I wanted to know if you felt the same.”

 

Keith felt a strange sense of shock, but also vindication.  If even Allura felt something was off, it was off.

 

“Yeah,” Keith nodded, “We’re not exactly sure why, but Lance and I think they’re hiding something.”

 

Allura straightened, “I think they might be in league with Lotor and his generals.”

 

“What?” Lance exploded, “Allura, how could you possibly think that? It’s crazy!”

 

“Not as much as you might think, Lance.” Allura held up her hands, “I just spoke with Keira, and what she said combined with a few offhand comments from Alastair and Gunderson lead me to believe that this Voltron might be on the side of the Galran prince.”

 

Keith felt inclined to agree, which was something he hadn’t expected. “It makes sense.”

 

“What’re you talking about  _ makes sense _ , how does that seem logical?” Lance turned on Keith.

 

“Lance, think about it; you said so yourself not five minutes ago that something shady was going on here.  Who’s to say these guys aren’t with Lotor?”

 

Lance just stared at Keith for a moment, his blue eyes roaming across the Red Paladin’s face.  Keith willed the blush away from his cheeks as he stared down the Blue Paladin as well, his gaze lingering on his quirked eyebrows and scowling lips.  He was also quite suddenly reminded of how skintight these Altean uniforms were and how attractive it made Lance’s shoulders look.

 

“Whatever the case may be,” Allura’s voice cut through the tension, “We know that there are important things they’re not telling us.  We need to confront Alastair and get the truth.”

 

Keith tore his gaze away from Lance and nodded, “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

 

“Don’t you guys think we should wait until we’ve gotten more information before we go off accusing these guys of being a part of Lotor’s posse?” Lance asked, “I mean, I hate Lotor as much as anyone, and I don’t wanna be helping him out in any way, especially after what he did to us on that gas planet, but can’t we give these guys the benefit of the doubt?  Maybe in this reality Lotor is actually a part of the Blade of Marmora and is trying to sabotage Zarkon from the inside!”

 

Keith opened his mouth to reply when he realized he didn’t have one.  Lance made a good point; they didn’t really know much about this reality and the way things were moving in it, just like he knew nothing about  _ their own _ Lotor or what his plans were.

 

“You make a good point, Lance,” Allura finally said, “But I cannot sit idly by and go along with these people until we know for sure where their loyalties lie.  I will not repeat my mistakes of the last time we went to another reality.” and with that the princess turned away.

 

Keith sighed.  Their princess sure had a flare for the dramatic.  He looked at Lance, who was watching the princess go, a worried crease between his eyebrows.  Keith had the sudden urge to smooth that crease with his fingers and whisper that everything would be okay.

 

“Y’know, it’s a really good thing I didn’t meet Allura on Earth,” Lance mused, “the way she looks in  _ los pantalones _ , I would’ve made a complete idiot of myself talking to her.”

 

Keith was confused, “How would jeans affect the way you talk to Allura?”

 

Lance turned to Keith, his expressive face screaming disbelief, “Are you seriously  _ blind _ ? Our princess is probably the most gorgeous girl in the galaxy, and seeing her wear clothes like a normal earthen teenager...how would that not affect you?”

 

“Oh,” Keith understood, his heart deflating a bit, “I guess I just never thought of Allura like that.”

 

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t anymore, but there are times it hits me how stunning she is,” Lance sighed, “I’m gonna have to make sure nobody hurts her.”

 

Keith couldn’t even come up with a response.  Lance didn’t like Allura...like that anymore?

 

The Blue Paladin turned back to him, a strange sadness on his face, “She deserves someone who’ll make her happy, don’t you think?”

 

Keith shoved his swirling thoughts aside and nodded slowly, “Yeah.  You all do.”

 

Lance looked like he wanted to say something, a question burning in his eyes, but kept his mouth shut.

 

“C’mon,” Keith began walking in the same direction as Allura, “We need to find a way to get intel on this reality’s Lotor and generals.”

 

“ _ Un momento,  _ Samurai,” Lance smirked, “I think I have a way.”

 

* * *

 

_ Lance _

Lance really hoped this plan would work, or he was about to make a complete idiot out of himself.  Well,  _ más que lo usual,  _ at least.

 

The Blue Paladin stood outside the hangar leading to Lana’s Red Lion, praying that he wasn’t about to be eaten alive.  When he had told Keith his plan, the other boy had looked at him like he was crazy.

 

“You’re gonna talk the information out of a robotic cat?”

 

“No, no no no, I’m going to use my  _ charm  _ and  _ flattery _ to get the information out of Red, two things you sorely lack.” Lance explained.

 

“So what, you’re just going to waltz into her hanger, sit in her cockpit and...talk?  This isn’t a slumber party, Lance.  You can’t braid each other’s hair and talk about―” the poor Paladin looked at a loss for words, “Whatever people talk about at slumber parties!”

 

“Dude just trust me, I know what I’m doing!” Lance had assured his leader.

 

Now, standing in front of the large robotic cat, he wished he felt as confident as he had sounded.  Keith had a way of doing that, though―building up his confidence.  He still felt a trill of happiness in his chest when he remembered what Keith told him after Shiro had just gotten back.

 

_ “Leave the math to Pidge.” _

 

Now if only his stomach would get with the program, that’d be great.

 

There was a coil of warmth that reached out to his mind and quickly retreated, suspicious.  Lance immediately knew it was the Lion in front of him, searching for Lana but only finding him.  He felt the energy coil again, this time with a question.

 

Lance laughed, “I guess you haven’t heard the news, then,” he strode over until he was right in front of the Lion, “Hey there, the name’s Lance.  I’m the pilot of the Red Lion in another reality, though I must say, you’re pretty amazing, too.” he grinned.

 

Though she didn’t move, Lance could feel the Lion’s unimpressed glare.

 

“Okay, I’ll admit, I’m a little rusty, but gimme a break!  We’ve been so busy fighting Lotor that I haven’t had a chance to put my skills to use, except on Keith, and he does  _ not  _ count.”

 

Another question, and Lance could’ve sworn he heard a voice say  _ ‘Keith?’ _

 

“Oh yeah, Keith, he’s our hotheaded pilot of the Black Lion.  Really cool guy, I think you’d like him.”

 

A warmth passed through his thoughts, and Keira’s face popped into his mind.

 

“Yeah, Keith is just like Keira, your former pilot, right?”

 

The Lion’s mood darkened in sadness and worry and anger.

 

“Whoa, sorry, I know that’s a touchy subject for you all.  But it’s turned out okay so far for us while we fight against Prince Lotor and his generals.”

 

There was another question:  _ ‘Lotor?  Fight?’ _

 

“Mmhm,” Lance nodded, “Prince Lotor, Emperor Zarkon’s son and heir?  He’s taken over for his father since we took out the old man.”

 

Another face popped into his head, a vaguely familiar-looking woman with gray hair and Altean markings.

 

“Is that Zarkon’s wife?  Honerva?”

 

A red-hot blast of anger shot out from the Lion, flashes of battles and graveyards and tears flooding Lance’s senses.  It was like remembering when he had seen two boys throwing rocks at helpless birds when he was little.  He’d been so angry with the cruel boys that he’d fought them, and they left him with a busted lip and feathers covering his arms and face.

 

Lance shook his head and felt woozy from the intensity of this Red Lion’s emotions.

 

“Whoa, you have really strong feelings for that woman, huh?”

 

A low growl resonated through the hangar from the Lion, and Lance realized that  _ strong feelings  _ was a gross understatement.

 

“Well, whatever the case may be with her, you seem pretty familiar with Lotor and his generals.  Have you had a lot of contact with them?”

 

Images with the faces of the four Galra women they had fought against the week before flashed through Lance’s mind, one sticking out more prominently than the others.

 

“Axca?” Lance asked, the name echoing in his head.  There was a gentle prodding in his mind, and Lance let the alternate dimension Lion see into his mind for the memories he had of Lotor and his crew.

 

She seemed confused as to why there was nothing else after the Teladuv lense incident, like there was something missing, or wrong with that picture.

 

“Is there something that happened in this reality with Lotor that didn’t in mine?” Lance asked, “Because all we know is that Lotor was trying to get the Teladuv lense, but we don’t know why.”

 

Again the image of that dual-pistol wielding general popped into Lance’s head, though this time she stood across from Lana and Keira, weapon drawn.  Her gun was pointed directly at Keira’s face, and Lana’s bayard was trained on the Galra.

 

_ “I don’t want this to end in bloodshed,” Axca said calmly. _

 

_ Keira cocked her head at the Galra general, “Says the one holding a gun to my head.” _

 

_ “K, don’t encourage her,” Lana muttered, not daring to move lest Axca try something.  It was the exact same stance Lance would take were he in this type of situation. _

 

_ “I’ve come to ask a favor of the Voltron paladins,” Axca continued as if neither of the girls had spoken, “specifically for the one who saved my life in that weblum, the one who has Galra blood in their veins.” _

 

_ Keira’s eyes were dark as she stared unflinchingly at Axca, “That’s me.  I was there in the weblum that day, just before we defeated Honerva and Lotor showed up.” _

 

_ “And are you part Galra?  There have been rumors of a Voltron paladin with Galra blood in her veins.” _

 

_ “What’s it to you?” Lana responded before Keira could open her mouth. _

 

_ Auxca seemed to weigh the answer on her tongue for a moment. “There are many of us who are part Galra, part other, but never had we seen a species exactly like yourself, a species so Altean-looking, with Galra blood.  I had to know if the rumors were true.” _

 

_ There was a long pause as Keira and Axca stared each other down.  Finally the Red Paladin spoke, “They’re true.  I am part Galra.  I don’t know how or where it comes from, but I have the same blood.” _

 

_ Axca was silent for a moment longer before lowering her weapon, “As long as there is some Galra in you, we should be able to help each other out.” _

 

_ “What do you mean?” Lana asked, her bayard still drawn but no longer pointed at the general, “Why should we help you?” _

 

_ “Because Voltron and Prince Lotor share a common interest: the destruction of Honerva’s empire.” _

 

Lance shook his head again and rubbed at his temples, trying to make sense of what he had just seen.

 

“Wait, so Lotor is on our side?” Lance asked aloud.

 

The Red Lion growled at him, like a mother cat reprimanding her kitten, and Lance was forcibly reminded of all the times they’d been attacked by Lotor.

 

“Okay, okay, I get the picture,” he yelled before he had to relive another of this reality’s memories, “Lotor’s still a bad guy, but you’re just...working with him to take down the empire?”

 

Axca and the other generals’ faces appeared in Lance’s mind again, but not the Prince’s.

 

“Not with Lotor, just his generals?”

 

Red hummed in agreement.

 

Lance felt like he was on the cusp of discovering something important something earth-shattering and ground breaking, but he didn’t know how to ask the question he needed in order to get that information.  He wanted to push the subject further, to ask  _ why _ this was the case, but there was an edge to Red’s presence in his head, as if she was about to ask her own questions, and Lance couldn’t risk her knowing that Allura and Keith didn’t trust her paladin.

 

“Thanks, girl,” Lance smiled, realizing that he had a lot to process, “Your team is pretty cool, y’know.”

 

As he turned to leave, one thing pushed at his mind from the Lion: two figures, one clad in red armor, the other in blue, standing on a mountaintop together.  Black hair whipped in the wind around the Red Paladin, and the Blue Paladin pushed it out of the way as they leaned forward and kissed gently.

 

A question came with the image, and Lance couldn’t tell what she was trying to ask him, though the image of Keith standing before the Black Lion after Thaceryx stuck in his mind.  The whole team had been exhilarated at the fact that they could form Voltron once more, but there was a vulnerability to Keith that Lance hadn’t seen before then.

 

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to ask me,” Lance said warily, “But I promise to look after my Red Paladin.  I won’t let you down.”

 

* * *

 

_ Keira _

“I just can’t make heads or tails of this, Chulat,” Keira complained to the mouse sitting beside her, “I mean, maps are supposed to be simple and easy to read, right?  So why am I having such a hard time with this one?”

 

“Maybe becuase you’re looking at it backwards?” a voice from behind her made Keira jump.

 

She turned around to face Gunderson, who had his tablet tucked under his arm as he stared at the holograph.

 

“You’ve got this nebula system in the completely opposite place,” the small boy continued, pushing his glasses up his nose, “and the last time I checked, Puig was on the western side of the quadrant, not the eastern.”

 

“Cardinal directions are void in space, Gun.” Keira deadpanned.

 

“I know,” he fired back, “I just wanted to see how much you actually paid attention to when Huali and I give our talks.” his eyes gleamed devilishly, “you never know, from the way your eyes are glued to Lana―” 

 

Keira jumped the younger paladin and wrapped him in a headlock, grinning, “And how many times am I going to tell you that I  _ always  _ pay attention to you and Huali when you’re giving speeches?”

 

Gunderson struggled against her hold for a moment before tapping her forearm twice, “Okay, fine, uncle, uncle!”

 

Keira laughed as she uncurled her arm and the boy twirled out of her grip, pouting, “If you spent more time on the training deck I could teach you how to properly get out of that.”

 

“Oh no, I am perfectly fine with the training I get in battle, thank you very much,” Gunderson fixed his messy hair, “Besides, I’d rather not have to deal with you and Lana constantly making heart eyes at each other as you pummel the other into the ground.  It’s not good for my indigestion.”

 

Keira rolled her eyes, “You’re worse than that boy from  _ The Princess Bride _ , and I do  _ not _ make constant heart eyes!” she turned to Chulat for support, but the mouse just looked at her with a shrug.

 

“I take that as the highest compliment,” Gunderson said, walking to his chair and opening his tablet, “And you most certainly do make heart eyes, you’ve had them ever since that first  _ ‘bonding moment’ _ or whatever a year ago.”

 

Keira felt her cheeks warm and tried her hardest to will it away.  She huffed and turned to face the holographic map again, realizing that the young Paladin had been right; she was looking at it backwards.  She reached out and flipped the map around like Alastair had taught her to, and found she could actually understand it again.

 

“What’re you doing in here, anyway?” Gunderson asked from his chair, “I figured you and Lana would be bonding with your alternate selves as much as you could.”

 

Keira’s brow furrowed, “Just...trying to see if there’s any way to get to the Slygor system faster.  There’s so much extra quintessence aboard with two Voltrons, and you know how dangerous that is.”

 

Gunderson hummed in agreement, “I’ll check our suppressors and cloaks tonight to see how much it’s affected them.  If there’s too much of a signature, I’ll check in with Cora and Huali to see what we can do.”

 

Keira smiled, “Thanks, Gun.”

 

“I do what I can,” she could picture the shrug he was giving.

 

“What about you?” Keira asked, turning again to face the Green Paladin, “Why aren’t you geeking out with your alternate self?”

 

“Alastair needed me to come up and check on a few things for his research while he experimented, and Pidge wanted to stay and watch, saying that she wasn’t leaving until something exploded.” Gunderson replied, Chulat coming to sit on his shoulder, “Besides, Huali and Hunk joined the party and it was starting to get crowded down there.”

 

Keira smiled again, “Remember the first time  _ you  _ tried alchemy?  You kept trying to prove it wasn’t a real science unless something blew up.”

 

“Yeah,” he laughed, “It wasn’t until Lana knocked over that vial trying to impress Alastair that anything remotely exciting happened.”

 

“My hair was white for a  _ month _ !” Keira yelled, “I think that’s more than  _ remotely exciting _ !”

 

“But you didn’t blow up,” Gunderson said, sounding disappointed, “And I think the white hair looked good on you!”

 

“You didn’t have to deal with the stares of aliens thinking you were an albino every mission!”

 

A cackle from the other side of the room startled both paladins, and Keira instinctively went for the knife at her waist.  She spun around to see Lance standing in the doorway of the control room, laughing at the Red and Green paladins.

 

“Was your hair really white for a full month?” the gangly boy asked, a large grin on his face.

 

Keira slowly relaxed, feeling foolish for reacting so strongly, “Yeah, the chemicals in my hair wouldn’t wash out.”

 

“Until we went to that one planet with a cleansing waterfall,” Gunderson added, “Now  _ that _ was a fun day.”

 

“You’ve been to a planet where there’s waterfalls?!” Lance’s eyes gleamed, “Was there rain, too?”

 

Something tugged at Keira’s heart hearing the hope in his voice. “We haven’t found a planet where it rains water, yet.”

 

Disappointment melted into an easy smile so quickly on Lance’s face Keira thought she had imagined it for a moment.  But she knew the Blue Paladin well enough through Lana to recognize this defense mechanism, and it made her heart ache even more for this boy she barely knew.  It highlighted another difference between her Voltron and theirs: their Blue Paladin was still pretending to be something he wasn’t.  Keira caught Gunderson’s eye, but he didn’t seem to understand what was so monumental about Lance’s expression.

 

“Have you been on any planets with rain?” Gunderson asked.

 

Lance shook his head, “Not that I’ve seen, but I’m sure there are some in the solar systems near us.” he smiled wistfully, “We’ve been too busy assembling the coalition to do much exploring, I’ll be honest.”

 

Gunderson nodded, seeming to think that a viable excuse, “We’ve been doing that, too.”

 

Keira knew it was because they were plotting their own rebellion the young boy hadn’t been able to search for his sister or father.  She wanted to fix that as soon as possible and see her adopted baby brother reunited with his family, but their mission was too important right now to allow time to pursue leads.

 

She then turned to Lance, who was inspecting her with a strange expression.  Keira wasn’t sure if he was confused by her, or simply comparing her to his Red Paladin.

 

Alastair’s voice suddenly called over the comms, “Gunderson, could I get some help down here?  I need someone who knows the proper alignments and algorithms to work the computer for me.”

 

“Be right there!” Gunderson leapt from his chair and out the door behind Lance, Chulat still on his shoulder and squeaking. “See ya!”

 

The metallic double-doors shut behind him, and Keira immediately felt the silence in the room thicken between her and Lance.  It was a silence that wasn’t comfortable, but wasn’t awkward, either.  It was a full silence, one where you could almost hear the thoughts spinning and churning in the minds of the room’s occupants.  And if you listened hard enough, you would find yourself forgetting your physical body existed, becoming lost in your thoughts and the other person’s thoughts.

 

This silence did not stretch long enough to reach that point, however, because Lance’s thoughts were noisy enough and persistent enough to flow from his brain to his lungs to his vocal chords to his lips and tongue.

 

“I talked to your Red Lion.”

 

This was not what Keira expected to hear, “You did what?”

 

Lance’s eyes didn’t betray any sign of remorse, but his voice did, “I went down into the hangars and talked with your―Lana’s lion.  I wanted to see for myself how they differ from ours, and thought I’d try to get to know her.”

 

“And what did you find out?” Keira asked, hoping she didn’t sound as curious as she was.

 

Lance shifted on his feet imperceptibly, “That your Red misses you nearly as much as mine misses Keith, and―” he met her eyes, “That you’re secretly working with Lotor’s generals.”

 

There was another silence, only this time it was charged.  The silence that follows an accusation of any kind, whether it be good or bad, is always electric and anxious, void of coherent thought and logical reasoning.

 

Keira tried to keep her voice level, “What makes you think that?”

 

“Red showed me when you met Axca―really met and talked to her, not just on the battlefield.”

 

She remembered that moment well.  It had taken a lot of negotiations before either the Galran women or the Voltron Paladins relinquished any real information to each other, and even now Keira didn’t fully trust them, though she wanted to.

 

“What about it?” she crossed her arms.

 

“I know you’ve made a pact with Lotor’s generals, but I don’t think you’re in league with Lotor  himself, right?”

 

Keira fought back a smirk.  Just like her Lana, this boy was more perceptive than he seemed.  She nodded slowly, planning out her words. “There are things happening between us and the Galra in this reality that requires inside information.  Lotor’s generals have proven they want that same information and share it with us.  Our mission hasn’t changed since the first time we ever formed Voltron, and it won’t until that mission is complete.”

 

There was another pause, and with it a third type of silence.  This kind happened when one party had given a statement, and both parties knew that it was only a half truth.  The party who knew there was something more, but not sure what, could either wait in this silence, calculating and cold, or take the half truth as the full and not be bothered by the unspoken.

 

Lance chose neither of these, which showed wisdom on his part, and proved to Keira that she had been correct in deeming him more cunning than his blinding smile lead others to believe.

 

“Sounds like you’ve got things basically figured out here,” Lance nodded and let out a sigh, “I better find some food on this castleship; I should learn where you keep the snacks since we’ll be here for...3 days, right?  That’s what Cora said at least,” he rubbed his chin with his hand, then waved it in the air, “Something about not having enough quintessence to power up the wormholes, right?  Yeah, I think that’s what she said.  Dunno how  _ that _ could possibly happen, though, do you?” he fixed his bright blue eyes on her, and Keira knew immediately that he didn’t trust her.

 

In lieu of responding, she met his gaze and stared back.

  
The gangly boy shrugged, “Whatever.” and with a metallic  _ whoosh _ , the doors opened and closed behind the Blue Paladin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *is going along happily writing this fanfic*
> 
> Life: Why hello there, I'll be taking all of your motivation and trading them for useless limes
> 
> Me: why do I have so many limes and no desire for anything?
> 
> *a month later*
> 
> Me: *spitting lime juice* that BITCH

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I love the concept of Alternate Realities, and the fact that they're canon in the series itself makes me unbelievably happy.
> 
> Please cry with me in the chili's bathroom over klance  
> tumblr: nerdy-cait05.tumblr.com  
> twitter/instagram: @nerdy_cait05
> 
> I plan to post bi-weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, whenever I can!


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